Brisbane Heat made it back-to-back wins in Weber WBBL|12 on Saturday, surviving a mid-chase wobble to beat Hobart Hurricanes by four wickets with ten balls to spare at Allan Border Field.
The defending champions’ title defence, meanwhile, sank deeper into trouble. Hobart remain winless after four matches, and with the top four already pulling away, their season is in need of a rapid turnaround.
Brisbane’s win was set up by a brilliant new-ball spell from 19-year-old Lily Bassingthwaighte, who reduced the Hurricanes to three for 13. Her prize wicket was her second, a delivery that came back between bat and pad to bowl Sri Lankan star Chamari Athapaththu first ball. Bassingthwaighte finished with three for 16 from her four overs, the first time she has taken three wickets in a WBBL match.
Hobart never fully recovered. Stand-in skipper Heather Graham, leading the side with regular captain Nicola Carey remaining in Hobart following the birth of her first child with partner and former skipper Elyse Villani on Wednesday, made 21. Rachel Trenaman added 25 and Maddy Green 24, but nobody went on with a start and the Hurricanes were held to 116 for nine from their 20 overs.
Grace Harris gave Brisbane’s chase a bright start with 24 from 16 balls, but Graham and 150-gamer Lauren Smith then dragged the Hurricanes back into the match. When captain Georgia Redmayne was run out and the Heat lost three wickets for 13 runs, the hosts had stumbled to 89 for six and the game was suddenly alive.
Annie O’Neil stepped up superbly to steer Brisbane home. Her enterprising unbeaten 32 from 28 balls saw the Heat to 119 for six in 18.2 overs, sealing a second win of the season after Thursday’s drought-breaking victory over the Strikers, when Charli Knott’s maiden T20 hundred ended a 706-day wait for a WBBL win.
The result lifts Brisbane to fourth on the table with four points from four matches, while Hobart sit last with no points and a net run rate of minus 1.557. The champions have four games gone and nothing to show for them — and the pressure is mounting.
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